Chelsea´s Cole out of US tour

Chelsea s recent home woes continued as they suffered a first Boxing Day defeat in the Premier League since 2003, going down 2-0 against a Southampton side who moved up to 14th.

Frank Lampard s side were outstanding in Sunday s victory over Tottenham but fell well short of the same standards four days later and could have few complaints after falling a third defeat in four top-flight matches at Stamford Bridge.

Michael Obafemi, who started as Southampton rested the in-form Danny Ings for the first of two games in 48 hours, lit up a poor first period with a fine run and finish after 31 minutes.

Chelsea upped their tempo after the interval following the introduction of Mason Mount and a switch to a back four, but the Saints who have now won back-to-back away ga…

Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson will have scans on an ankle injury described by manager Jurgen Klopp as pretty painful .

Robertson was hurt during Sunday s 1-1 friendly draw between the Reds and Athletic Bilbao at Anfield.

The Scotland international limped off after attempting to block a cross and was replaced at half-time by Owen Beck.

Klopp said further tests are required to determine the level of damage, casting doubt on Robertson s availability for Liverpool s opening game of the Premier League season away to Norwich City on August 14.

We obviously don t know in the moment how serious it is, Klopp said. 

It was pretty painful and that s why Andy went off. You probably saw it on the TV pictures better than we did, but he got the ball, the…

Mauricio Pochettino hopes Chelsea can use the FA Cup to qualify for Europe next season despite their indifferent Premier League form.

The Blues host Preston at Stamford Bridge in the third round on Saturday and will be looking for respite for what has been a mixed league campaign during the manager’s first six months in charge.

They currently sit 10th, with an 11-point gap to make up on fifth and what would be a guaranteed spot in the Europa League.

How the Premier League table changed over the period

— Premier League (@premierleague)

A successful cup run culminating in victory in the Wembley final in May would earn them a place in the competition next term, whilst they will also be looking to secure a back-up spot in the Conference League …

Augsburg has lured former Borussia Monchengladbach striker Raul Bobadilla back to the Bundesliga from Swiss club Basel.

The Argentine attacker, who has played in Switzerland since midway through the 2011/12 season with stints at Young Boys Bern and Basel, has penned a three-year contract with Augsburg, while the transfer fee has not been revealed.

Bobadilla, 26, was pleased to return to Germany, where he played two-and-a-half years with Gladbach.

I m very grateful to FC Augsburg for giving me the chance to play in the Bundesliga again, Bobadilla said.

I m looking forward to it and will give everything to help the team achieve its goals.

Augsburg coach Markus Weinzierl was delighted to sign Bobadilla, who scored once in 10 games for Basel last campaign, aft…

Marseille moved to the top of Ligue 1 on Saturday as they edged past Valenciennes 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Andre-Pierre Gignac.

Valenciennes looked to be heading towards a point against last season s runners-up, but Gignac struck six minutes from time, prodding home after Nicolas Penneteau failed to handle Andre Ayew s header from Mathieu Valbuena s well-placed corner.

That kept Marseille s 100 per cent record intact, but there was disappointment for Lyon, who slipped to their first defeat of the season against Reims.

The game at the Stade de Gerland was delayed due to concerns over the state of the playing surface, which had been severely affected by heavy rain in the first half.

Referee Ruddy Buquet postponed the start of the second half because of the co…

Danny Rose says England are better prepared for the World Cup than they were for Euro 2016 as the Three Lions build towards their Group G opener with Tunisia.

Rose, who has been in and out of the Tottenham team this season, is competing with Ashley Young to start at left back on Monday.

The 27-year-old performed well against Costa Rica in a recent friendly before departing for Russia and said nobody is taking anything for granted.

I can only speak about the Euros and what s happening now, he said.

But some of the preparation for the Euros I would have liked to do differently, especially for the Iceland game.

— England (@England)

That was… well. What we were doing in training was completely different to how Iceland played …

Competition: Premier League
Market: Chelsea to win against Tottenham
Odds:

Chelsea host London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening, in a repeat of the fixture that mathematically ruled Spurs out of contention for the 2015/16 Premier League title.

The Blues are flying this season too, and face a Tottenham outfit struggling for wins in recent weeks which could lead to a home win.

Chelsea are top of the Premier League table with 28 points from 12 games this season, having won six on the bounce ahead of this weekend’s meeting with the Lilywhites. Antonio Conte’s men have been formidable at Stamford Bridge, boasting five wins from six home games, conceding just three, and are favourites to come out on top as a result.

…

Arsenal paid respect to Queen Elizabeth II with a minute s silence prior to the second half of their Europa League match at FC Zurich on Thursday.

The Royal Family announced Her Majesty had passed away peacefully at the age of 96 at her Balmoral residence on Thursday, with the news coming while the Gunners match was taking place in Switzerland. 

Arsenal emerged for the second half of the contest wearing black armbands before a minute s silence was held in advance of the match s resumption.

The club also paid tribute with a statement on their website, which read: Everyone at Arsenal Football Club is saddened at the news of the death of Her Majesty The Queen.

Her Majesty gave remarkable service over eight decades to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth…

Liverpool s ability to react to adversity in their 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest proves the Reds are rediscovering their belief, according to two-goal hero Diogo Jota.

Liverpool were tested by the relegation candidates as goals from Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White cancelled out Jota s brace, but Mohamed Salah s close-range finish ensured the Reds edged a back-and-forth encounter at Anfield.

While competing for a top-four Premier League finish looks a tall order for Jurgen Klopp s men, they have now clinched back-to-back victories after enduring a five-game winless run.

Liverpool also recovered from two goals down to draw with league leaders Arsenal before their victories over Leeds United and Forest, and Jota hopes to build on their improved run of form.